Tour guide

 ( Service Occupations ) 

A tourist guide is a person who guides visitors in the language of their choice and interprets the cultural and natural heritage of an area. Tourist guides normally possess an area-specific qualification, usually issued and/or recognised by the appropriate authority. The term "tourist guide" is the internationally recognised professional designation, established by major international standards and supported by professional organisations worldwide. In the United States, the colloquial term "tour guide" is commonly used, though this does not align with international professional standards. Tourist guides provide assistance and information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing and individual clients at educational establishments, religious and historical sites such as museums, and at various venues of tourist attraction resorts. On the Job: A Seasoned Tour Guide Tells All, JobMonkey.com. Tourist guides also take clients on outdoor guided trips, including hiking, whitewater rafting, mountaineering, alpine climbing, rock climbing, ski and snowboarding in the backcountry, fishing, and biking.

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History The profession of tourist guiding has ancient origins, with historical records indicating that guides accompanied travellers in classical antiquity. In 18th-century Japan, a traveler could pay for a tourist guide or consult such as Kaibara Ekken's Keijō Shōran (The Excellent Views of Kyoto).

(2026). 9780520254176, University of California Press. . ISBN 9780520254176

The modern profession emerged during the 19th century alongside the development of organised tourism. The establishment of Thomas Cook's travel company in 1841 marked the beginning of professionalised tourist services, including organised guiding. Professional standards for tourist guides began developing in the 20th century as tourism became a significant economic sector. The World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA) was founded in 1985 to represent the profession globally and establish unified standards. The organisation has since grown to represent over 200,000 tourist guides through 87 member associations in more than 100 countries.

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International standards and professional organisations

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World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations The World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA) is the global representative body for the tourist guide profession. Founded in 1985, the organisation represents over 200,000 tourist guides through member associations worldwide. WFTGA has consultative status with UNESCO as a Non-Governmental Organisation and is an affiliate member of UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO).

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International Standards Three key international standards govern the tourist guide profession: EN 13809:2003: This European standard defines tourist guiding services and establishes the fundamental distinction between tourist guides and other tourism professionals. The CEN (European Committee for Standardization) definition for "tourist guide" is a "person who guides visitors in the language of their choice and interprets the cultural and natural heritage of an area, which person normally possesses an area-specific qualification usually issued and/or recognized by the appropriate authority". ISO 18513:2003: The International Organization for Standardization's tourism vocabulary standard includes definitions for tourist guiding services, providing global consistency in terminology. EN 15565:2008: This standard specifies requirements for professional tourist guide training and qualification programmes. It ensures that training programmes meet consistent quality standards and cover essential competencies required for professional practice.

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Regional implementation

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Australia In Australia, tourist guides may be qualified with a Certificate III Guiding although this is not compulsory. They may belong to organisations such as Tour Guides Australia TGA and the Institute of Australian Tour Guides IATG. According to the Tour Guides Australia Code of Conduct, guides must commit to providing professional service, objective interpretations, environmental education, promoting the country as a destination, ongoing professional development, maintaining first aid certification, and carrying appropriate insurance.

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Europe In Europe, tourist guides are represented by FEG, the European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations, which represents over 60,000 tourist guides. In Europe, the tourist guiding qualification is specific to each country; in some cases the qualification is national, in some cases it is broken up into regions. In all cases, it is embedded in the educational and training ethic of that country. EN15565 is a European Standard for the Training and Qualification of Tourist Guides.

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India In India it is mandatory to have a license approved by the Ministry of Tourism (India) to work officially as a tourist guide. The government provides the license to regional-level tourist guides and also runs a Regional Level Guide Training Program (RLGTP). These programs and training sessions are conducted under the guidance of Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) or other government-recognized institutes.

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Iran In Iran, those who want to become a certified tourist guide must take part in a dedicated course, pass a nationwide written exam and also a provincial oral test. The certificate is issued by Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts and is valid for one year. After the validity period, the guides can renew their certificates without participating in another course. Only those who have at least a bachelor's degree can be certified. Since 2024, those guides who are actively working and are members of the official tourist guide associations of their provinces, can ask for social security.

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Japan In Japan, tourist guides are required to pass a certification exam by the Commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency and register with the relevant prefectures. Non-licensed guides caught performing guide-interpreter activities can face a fine of up to 500,000 Yen.

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South Africa In South Africa tourist guides are required to register in terms of the Tourism Act 3, 2014. Training must be done through a trainer accredited by the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority.

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See also

• Audio tour
• Blue Badge tourist guide
• Cell phone tour
• Cicerone
• Free Walking Tour
• GPS tour
• Institute of Tourist Guiding
• Museum docent
• Museum education
• Seasonworker
• Tourism
• Tour operator
• Cultural tourism
• Heritage interpretation
• Sustainable tourism

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Further reading

• MacCannell, Dean. The Ethics of Sightseeing. University of California Press, 2011.
• Pond, Kathleen Lingle. The Professional Guide: Dynamics of Tour Guiding. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1993.
• Ruitenberg, Claudia W. "Learning by Walking: Non-Formal Education as Curatorial Practice and Intervention in Public Space." International Journal of Lifelong Education 31, no. 3 (2012): 261–275.
• Salazar, Noel B. (2005). Tourism and glocalization: 'Local' tour guiding. Annals of Tourism Research, 32(3), 628–646.
• Salazar, Noel B. (2006). Touristifying Tanzania: Local guides, global discourse. Annals of Tourism Research, 33(3), 833–852.
• Salazar, Noel B. (2008). "Enough stories!" Asian tourism redefining the roles of Asian tour guides. Civilisations, 57(1/2), 207–222.
• Salazar, Noel B. (2010). Envisioning Eden: Mobilizing imaginaries in tourism and beyond. Oxford: Berghahn.
• Wynn, Jonathan R. The Tour Guide: Walking and Talking New York. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2011.
• Wynn, Jonathan R. "City Tour Guides: Urban Alchemists at Work." City & Community 9, no. 2 (June 2010).

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External links World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations

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